Since the fall of 1985, Dickinson College has offered a semester/year program in Málaga in cooperation with the Centro Internacional de Español division of the Universidad de Málaga. Dickinson College applicants are granted admission priority; however, it is possible for students from other institutions to apply. The program is open to students in good academic standing who have taken Spanish Composition SPAN 231. International Business and Management majors who have taken Intermediate Spanish II and who have not yet taken SPAN 231 are eligible for the Business track. Students on the Business track may take elective courses in English. Students may enroll for the Fall semester (mid-August – mid-December); Spring semester 9 (mid-January to late-May) or the full academic year (early September to late May). Dickinson also offers a summer immersion program for students who have completed three semesters of Spanish.


Málaga is an active, attractive city of about 600,000. The three other important cities of Andalucía - Granada, Córdoba and Sevilla-  are within easy reach by train. Despite its proximity to such top tourist attractions as the beaches of the famed Costa del Sol, Málaga is more traditionally Spanish, cobblestone streets and palm-tree lined promenades along its Mediterranean bay. The program is led by a Faculty Resident Director; his/her responsibilities also include teaching of some of the Program’s courses, which are all entirely conducted in Spanish. The rest of the courses are taught by University of Málaga faculty. 

The curriculum consists mainly of courses especially organized for the Program and are offered at the Centro Internacional de Español of the University of Málaga. Elective course subjects include Spanish and Hispano-Arab Art, Marketing in Spain, and Spain and the European Union. Although the culture of southern Spain (Andalucía) is emphasized, students also receive a panoramic view of the whole of Spanish culture. All students take Spanish for Academic Contexts, Spanish Culture and Society, and Engaging Malaga (taught by the program director). Students enjoy tutorial sessions led by University of Malaga students who have spent a year at Dickinson. The tutors introduce the students to the cultural and daily life of Málaga through visits and discussions that are held at various public places. Full-year students are eligible to solicit an academic internship, tied to INDT 390 (intercultural seminar, taught by program director). 

Students take a minimum of one elective course at the University of Málaga. The normal student course load is five courses in the Fall (the intensive language course ends before Univ. of Malaga courses begin) and four courses in the Spring semester. The courses especially organized at the University of Málaga are taken under a credit/no credit system. Students are housed in private Málaga residences where they take all their meals. A comprehensive fee is charged for tuition and fees, room and board in a Spanish home and scheduled academic excursions, which include Andalucian sites and major cities in Spain.